Trident fires opening salvo on frame rate conversion patents

NEW YORK – Trident Microsystems, Inc., now armed with 2,000 patents related to video processing, has disclosed its intent to pursue license agreements with consumer OEMs and semiconductor companies for several of its motion estimation/motion compensation patents – essential to enhancing picture quality in LCD displays and doing frame rate conversions for emerging 3-D TV sets.

Consider this Trident’s opening salvo in the upcoming intellectual property negotiations with a number of consumer chip vendors.

However, Duane Northcutt, Trident’s CTO, stressed, “We have no intention to become a Rambus-like patent troll.” He added, “We want to let the world know that we are making some of these patents available.”

Northcutt claims that Trident now has “the world’s broadest and deepest IP portfolio in video processing.” He added, “We are now in the big leagues.”

Duane Northcutt
CTO, Trident

Indeed, viewed historically, the name “Trident” is a misnomer; the new Trident is a whole different company hoping to play a whole different game.

In the 1990’s, Trident was once known as a modest graphic chip vendor for PC add-in cards. But after selling its graphics assets to Taiwan-based XGI Technology in 2003, Trident languished in obscurity until early this year, when it pulled off a complex acquisition deal with NXP Semiconductors’ consumer IC business units.

Paul Gray, director of European TV Research at DisplaySearch, called Trident’s description of its transcendent new identity “a fair claim.” The combination of Philips and Micronas “brings together two of the players with the longest history and deepest experience in TV ICs,” he said. Perhaps, he added, Trident now compares with “Sony and Panasonic, which have a similarly deep portfolio” with many years of in-house R&D in video processing.

Essential IPs

But which essential IPs does Trident exactly own when it comes to motion estimation/motion compensation (MEMC)?

The basic technique goes back to late in the 1980’s when Philips invented flicker-free TVs, by increasing frame rates, for European CRTs running at 50Hz, said Trident’s Northcutt. The technology injected pixels in a frame which didn’t exist in a stream.

More specifically, the core technology, as Gray explained, is the ‘block search’ approach for determining which parts in a video stream are moving objects, then computing the motion vectors of these projects.

Gray called the technology “the fundamental engine underneath any frame-rate conversion system, and indeed much of video processing.” Gerard de Haan in the 1990’s working at Philips Research filed a series of patents on the basic technology, said Gray.

Meanwhile, Micronas licensed some of the fundamental patents, made a series of refinements in removing artifacts, and developed its own approach.

Gray said, “Trident is in the fortunate position of being able to compare two evolutions of the same technology.”

Answer is simple, they didnt have so many, inherited from NXP who owns %60 percent of their shares after deal close up. They have good customer portfolio and eagered to be involved more, a nice movement yet still gappy. No production, no certainty for on time delivery as all founderies are in allocation where Trident lets their products beeing produced. Its crucial especially nowadays rapid changing market where everybody wants to have their own TV, or set-box

A very positive use of the IP. I hope other firms begin to emulate. The problem I have with patent is that nothing could replace the patent system. However, patent system has discouraged lots of innovations. When you are not allowed to incremental innovate on a product until the patent expires, it makes the world less innovative. I see a world with no patent and technology could flow better.

I am aware that Philips/NXP had licensed MEMC technology to a few other players in the industry before the Trident deal. Trident's string of acquisitions really does make it a powerhouse in digital video processing IP. I, for one, believe that they seem to be taking a very healthy attitude in how to handle their IP. In fact, I would say that it is very "UN-troll-like" in that they are making it clear that companies can either buy their products, or license their IP. But they have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to maximize their profit from all that expensive IP.

Actually, I think Trident's Duane went a little too far by calling Rambus "patent troll." In defense of Rambus, the company has interest in marketing their patented invention.
That said, it isn't clear to me if Philips or Micronas over the last decade ever made any genunine efforts to license their patented motion estimation/motion compensation (MEMC) technologies to others.
I suspect that Trident is hot to trott to market their IPs now because MEMC has become increasingly important for the upcoming 3D TV (240MHz).

I for one applaud them for coming forward early and saying: "We are here and we are ready to license our IP" instead of waiting for many years and then going after the established chip-sets and market products. It will be fun to watch who signs up, who defers, and who tries to avoid the IP by using one of the alternative approaches. I do find the "patent troll" comment both funny and evocative. It seems that certain other companies' behaviors have been noticed; lets hope this upfront approach will frame future IP dealings.

So, Trident claims that the company is now in the business of marketing their patents. Who knew that Trident now has this many IPs in video processing area?! Should other consumer chip companies be worried about this?